Score big in your landscape by adding several hosta varieties. One of the original easy care perennials, hosta plants deliver big color for very little effort. You can find types of hostas in any size you need, including miniature hostas and giant hostas. Design a landscape using classic variegated hosta types, or focus on a design featuring blue hostas. Discover different hosta varieties that bring on big color.

In the world of hosta varieties, there’s truly something for every taste and need. For pure wow power, set your sights on giant hosta types. Many of these oversized hostas feature some part of Hosta sieboldiana heritage. Hosta sieboldiana ‘Elegans’ is the most common variety of this hosta that’s grown today. It forms clumps that measure 5 feet across with heavily corrugated blue leaves. It’s a stunner in the garden.

Other giant hosta varieties include Hosta ‘Sagae,’ which grows 31 inches high and 70 inches wide. This beauty has blue leaves with white wavy margins and is a sun tolerant and slug resistant hosta type. Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ is probably one of the classic giant types of hosta. Its individual leaves can grow up to 2 feet across. The record holding ‘Sum and Substance’ hosta measures 114 inches across and 48 inches tall.

Just as the giant hosta types have Hosta sieboldiana genes, many of the blue hosta varieties have Hosta ‘Halcyon’ heritage. Hosta ‘Halcyon’ brings on the blue with thick, waxy leaves that are slug resistant once they’re mature. The plant grows 2 to 3 feet across and 1 to 1-1/2 feet high. It opens lavender blooms in midsummer.

Some of the traditional favorites among the blue types of hosta include Hosta ‘Blue Angel,’ which tends toward a giant size. Plants form clumps that are up to 72 inches across and 36 inches high. Hosta ‘Big Daddy’ brings down the blue hosta size a bit, growing 1 to 2 feet tall on plants 2 to 3 feet across. Miniature hostas also include some blue beauties, like Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears.’ This tiny perennial grows 8 inches tall and forms a mound up to 1 foot wide.

Other widely planted hosta types are variegated hostas. These plants unfurl leaves with several colors, usually combinations of green and gold, cream or white. When you plant variegated hosta types, you’re guaranteed to have steady color throughout the growing season. Many variegated hostas have Hosta fortunei genes in them. Some common variegated types of hostas include Hosta ‘Undulata’ (also known as Hosta ‘Albomarginata’), Hosta ‘Gold Standard’ and Hosta ‘Whirlwind.’